The MacArthur $100-Million Grant Contest
“Big problems require bold solutions.” That’s how Chicago’s MacArthur Foundation has announced its spectacular new “100&Change” competition. There will be a single $100-million grant for
Machine-Readable Form 990 Launched!
On June 16, 2016, the Internal Revenue Service made it happen: the long-awaited introduction of the machine-readable Form 990 (Modernized E-file, “MeF”): …[T]he publicly available
Corporate Governance Redesigned: A Sweet Briar College & San Diego Opera Update
Last year, we highlighted two intriguing governance stories that captured the attention of the philanthropy community. There were certain striking similarities in these cases on
Private Foundations: New Program-Related Investments Guidance
Recently, the directors and managers of private foundations read some good news in the Federal Register. On April 25, 2016, The U.S. Treasury Department issued
The Political Ban in 501(c)(3): Its Odd History
We in the philanthropic community are – along with the rest of the nation – deep in the muck of perhaps the most bizarre election
California Property Tax Exemption for Charities: A Primer
Around the nation, there are frequent news stories about the dire financial straits of state and local governments. Beleaguered officials and legislators desperately seek ways
When the Revenue Agent Comes Calling: Nonprofit Executive Compensation
In “When the Revenue Agent Comes Calling,” we explained that the Enron and Worldcom scandals in the early 2000’s had a profound effect on charity
Foundations of Public Universities: Too Secretive?
They have been called “‘slush funds’ and ‘shadow corporations’ that too often operate in secrecy, ….” “Public officials are raising questions about the spending
Nonprofits Stop Bad Regulations
Even well-meaning legislators and regulators can get it wrong. They see a fly hovering over the apple pie on the Memorial Day picnic table and
Audits and More Audits
Organization Do-Good, Inc. is a (hypothetical) California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation with tax exemptions in good standing from the Internal Revenue Service and the California
Do We Need to Tell Anyone We’re About To ….?
California charitable corporations are poked and prodded by a maddening number of federal, state, and local government agencies. It’s not, however, pointless meddling and duplication
Property Tax Exemptions: The New Battlefield
In Local Governments Eager to Snag Revenue from Nonprofits, we discussed an important trend that should be grabbing the attention of the nation’s 501(c)(3)s: local